Welcome to South Forward

Don Fowler, Chair

Democrats can win in the South!

As he put down his pen after signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act, President Lyndon Johnson famously said that Democrats had “lost the South for a generation.” And while Republicans have been making gains in the South for decades, their complete dominance is a fairly recent phenomenon.

Regrettably, the perception that Democrats can’t win in the South becomes self-fulfilling.

In many cases, Democratic candidates don’t even file to run for offices that could be won with hard-fought, aggressive campaigns. Here’s the vicious cycle: Men and women with good Democratic hearts who might consider running see that national Party institutions won’t invest. In turn, the national Party sees a lack of good candidates and further writes off the region.

In short, the Democratic Party must field candidates and learn to win elections in the South if the Party is to regain the majority of Governor’s mansions, pick up legislative chambers and regain control of the House of Representatives.

The South presents a larger opportunity for Democratic gains than any other region of the country.

South Forward was founded to win elections; build and strengthen institutional capacity; and recruit, train and mentor candidates and staff.